Lab 23 The Ear Hearing Balance

Hearing is the ability to
perceive sounds.
The ear is divided into three

main regions: (1) the external
ear, which collects sound
waves and channels them
inward; (2) the middle ear,
which conveys sound
vibrations to the oval
window; and (3) the internal
ear, which houses the
receptors for hearing and
equilibrium.
1. EXTERNAL (OUTER) EAR
The external (outer) ear consists of the
auricle, external auditory canal, and
eardrum.
Pinna (auricle) - is a flap of elastic
cartilage shaped like the flared end of a
trumpet and covered by skin. Protects
the auditory opening & directing sound
waves toward it.
External auditory canal - or external
acoustic meatus; is a curved tube about
2.5 cm (1 in.) long that lies in the
temporal bone and leads to the
eardrum.
Eardrum – or tympanic membrane; is a
thin, semitransparent partition between
the external auditory canal and middle
ear; vibrates when reached by
soundwaves.
2. MIDDLE EAR is a small, air-filled
cavity. Two covered openings on
the medial side of the middle ear,
the oval window & the round
window, connect the middle ear
with the inner ear.
The middle ear contains the 3
smallest bones (the auditory
ossicles): maleus (hammer);
incus (anvil) & stapes (stirrup). These bones
transmit vibrations from the tympanic
membrane to the oval window. The malleus
is attached to the tympanic membrane. The
incus connects the malleus to the stapes.
Auditory tube – or pharyngotympanic tube
or eustachian tube; which consists of both
bone and elastic cartilage, connects the
middle ear with the nasopharynx. Also a
route for pathogens to travel from the nose
and throat to the middle ear, causing the
most common type of ear infection.
3. INNER (INTERNAL) EAR
Also called the labyrinth because
of its complicated series of canals.
Structurally, it consists of two main
divisions: an outer bony labyrinth
that encloses an inner
membranous labyrinth. It is like
long balloons put inside a rigid
tube.
Bony labyrinth – is a series of
cavities in the petrous portion of
the temporal bone divided into three areas: (1) the semicircular canals, (2) the
vestibule, and (3) the cochlea.
Perilymph – a fluid that is chemically similar to CSF found in the bony labyrinth
Membranous labyrinth - a series of epithelial sacs and tubes inside the bony
labyrinth that have the same general form as the bony labyrinth and house the
receptors for hearing and equilibrium.
Endolymph – is a clear fluid in the membranous labyrinth
Cochlea - a bony spiral canal that
resembles a snail’s shell; is divided
into three channels: cochlear duct,
scala vestibuli, and scala tympani.
Cochlear duct - or scala media is a
continuation of the membranous
labyrinth into the cochlea.
Scala vestibuli - the channel above
the cochlear duct which extends at
the oval window to the apex of the
cochlea.
Scala tympani – extends in parallel with the scala vestibuli from the apex back
to the round window.
Vestibular membrane - the wall of the membranous labyrinth that lines that
scala vestibuli
Basilar membrane – the wall of the membranous labyrinth that lines the scala
tympani
Resting on the basilar membrane
is the spiral organ or organ of
Corti. The spiral organ is a coiled
sheet of epithelial cells, including
supporting cells and about
16,000 hair cells, which are the
receptors for hearing. Axons of
the sensory neurons join to form
the cochlear nerve & joins the
vestibular nerve to become the
vestibulocochlear nerve which
carries action potentials to the
brain.
Vestibule – is the central area of
the inner ear.
Two sacs of the membranous
labyrinth: utricle (little bag) &
saccule (little sac)
Semicircular canals – three round
passages (posterior, anterior &
lateral), each on a different plane
Ampulla – are swollen
enlargement at the end of each
canal
1 The auricle directs sound waves into the external auditory canal.
2 When sound waves strike the tympanic membrane, the alternating waves of high and low
pressure in the air cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate back and forth. The tympanic
membrane vibrates slowly in response to low-frequency (low-pitched) sounds and rapidly in
response to high-frequency (high-pitched) sounds.
3 The central area of the tympanic membrane connects to the malleus, which vibrates along with
the tympanic membrane. This vibration is transmitted from the malleus to the incus and then to
the stapes.
4 As the stapes moves back and forth, its oval-shaped footplate, which is attached via a ligament to
the circumference of the oval window, vibrates in the oval window. The vibrations at the oval
window are about 20 times more vigorous than those of the tympanic membrane
because the auditory ossicles effeciently transmit small vibrations spread over a large surface area
(the tympanic membrane) into larger vibrations at a smaller surface (the oval window).
5 The movement of the stapes at the oval window sets up fluid pressure waves in the perilymph of
the cochlea. As the oval window bulges inward, it pushes on the perilymph of the scala vestibuli.
6 Pressure waves are transmitted from the scala vestibuli to the scala tympani and eventually to the
round window, causing it to bulge outward into the middle ear.
7 As the pressure waves deform the walls of the scalea vestibuli and scala tympani, they also push
the vestibular membrane back and forth, creating pressure waves in the endolymph inside the
cochlear duct.
8 The pressure waves in the endolymph cause the basilar membrane to vibrate, which moves the
hair cells of the spiral organ against the tectorial membrane. This leads to bending of the stereocilia
and ultimately to the generation of nerve impulses in first-order neurons in cochlear nerve fibers.
THE EAR, HEARING & EQUILIBRIUM
Two hearing tests that are often
used in clinical settings to screen
patients with suspected hearing
impairments:
RINNE TEST
Strike a tuning fork on the base of
your palm and place the handle
against the subject’s mastoid
process. When the subject no
longer hears the tuning fork’s
hum, quickly move the prongs to
the opening of the external
auditory canal (but do not touch
it). Normally, a hum will be heard
again. If not, a conductive
impairment is suspected.
THE EAR, HEARING & EQUILIBRIUM
WEBER TEST
Strike a tuning fork on the base of
your palm and place the handle
against the middle of the forehead
and ask the subject if which side of
the ears the sound seems louder.
A conduction problem is indicated
on a side that is noticeably louder
than the other.

Lab 23 The Ear Hearing Balance

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Hearing is the ability to

The ear is divided into three

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